#i hope in 100 years people say mean things about a story i wrote

[canmom]

there's something fascinatingly awkward about how 1800s era stories seem to be structured.

i read a detective story on that site. it opens with a frame story: a merchant and his daughter are waiting for his underling to come back with a lot of money. he's late. in a modern story you would expect this to be a setup: the underling is probably dead, or in trouble, or he's lost the money, which is the call to action for the rest of the plot.

the guy shows up and he's got the money. 'but i almost didn't' he says, and then tells a flashback story about how he met this kinda sus guy at the bank and then played billiards with him while waiting for the next train, and he thinks the guy is following him, so he talks to a detective; the detective is like yeah that guy is definitely following you but dw bro I'll deal with it; the guy gets on the train and billiards man is there and looking particularly "asiatic" to boot; billiards man does indeed try to rob him but the detective is there in disguise and saves our protagonist. don't play billiards, kids!

only we know from the very beginning that the guy is fine and so is the money so there's zero tension. why write a story like this? there's nothing there. even the supposed anti-billiards message does not follow since the billiards game is incidental. the guy we're told is sus is in fact sus. the detective who said he'd help does in fact help. the detective genre is supposed to revolve around mysteries but... there is no mystery. the guy gets with the girl but we barely see them so much as interact. it's not even a power fantasy because all he does is talk to a cop. totally inert story.

which makes me think like, would you find a story that's bad in this particular way today? there are plenty of bad stories these days but the narrative gestures they make are different. i think it's rarer to come across a piece of fiction and wonder why they even bothered to write it since there just isn't a story there.

[lianaloverr]

Friends

Colby Brock x Fem!reader

ᜊ

Summary: It’s been 4 months since you broke up, and Colby just can’t seem to move on..

Warnings: past relationships, Colby cheating in said past relationship, Cussing, Angst

Word count: 1.4k

Hii guys! New banner, new story. This is my first story where I’ve really switched the pov’s around, so I hope you enjoy! btw, on Colby’s pov, (first) means first person.

The song "Friends" by Chase Atlantic is about the feeling of longing for a past relationship that has ended.

Y/n’s pov:

It had been 3 months since you guys broke up. You and Colby dated for a year and a half and it was torture. you put everything into that relationship, and in return, Colby did nothing. And after you found out he cheated with multiple different girls, you got into a heated argument.

This ended with you getting slapped in the face and Colby leaving. A day after, you packed all of his stuff he left at your apartment and gave it to his bestfriend, Sam. Sam was a little confused at first because he got on the phone with Colby the night of and nothing seemed wrong. When you explained, Sam was furious. he asked if you were okay and you said yes, but you lied.

You were hurting inside, Colby never seemed like the type to hit. He proved you wrong.

Colby’s pov (first):

God, I miss you, is what I wrote in my 1000th text message I knew I wasn’t gonna send. I can’t grasp the feeling of her gone. “Hey Colby, whatcha doing?” Sam says, barging in my room. “Nothing” I reply coldly. Sam gives me a look, then speaks. “Are you still thinking about her? It’s been 3 months.” Sam states. I hate how he can just read my mind.

“I know Sam, I just miss her so much.” I reply. “Well;” Sam stops his sentence to sit down. “You fucked up, and you can fix that if you really try. Instead of just sitting here crying and wishing she’ll come running back.” Sam finishes. “Sam, that’s the most realest thing you’ve ever said.” I say, half joking. But I wasn’t it was, it was what i needed to do.

𝟣 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁 𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋

Y/n pov:

Your at an influencer party hosted by your mutual. It was pretty cool. They had drinks and games everywhere. You stuck around with your other mutual Tarayummy. She asked you a question that made you rethink your entire life.

“Do you think Colby’s gonna be here?” you immediately froze. You didn’t think of that. You could barely the thought of seeing his face after all this time. He broke you so much. After the breakup, you started cutting, and haven’t been able to stop since. You knew if you could make peace with him, but you couldn’t.

You could stand face to face with the guy who ruined you. Also, when he told his fans that you guys broke up, you were sent death threats from is fans because they thought you broke up with him. You genuinely wanted to, but you held on for hope, and you’re still trying to find it.

Colby’s pov (first):

I just pulled up to this influencer party with Sam. I have no idea who’s hosting it, I just got a random invite to my phone. I see people out in the front yard wasted. Some of them throwing up. I feel bad for the guy who lives here.

When I walk into the house, I just see people having fun, something I haven’t done in a while. Then it crosses my mind, what if Y/n’s here? Thinking of that immediately made me jump. Just the thought of her being there made me so happy. I’ve longed to see her again. After the breakup, she blocked me on everything. I wasn’t able to be the “stalker ex”. I haven’t seen her face in forever, so knowing she could possibly be at this party brings me joy. Maybe I could finally apologize.

Searching for her felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack. But it didn’t make me feel all that lazy, there were well over 100 people at this party. all i wanted was to find her, and tell her how much i miss her. I miss us. I’ve been stuck in the same place of too long, and all my friends are waiting for of me to move on. But I can’t.

Y/n’s pov:

All night you hoped you wouldn’t see him. You couldn’t do that again. Even if you wanted to get back with him, he never took the relationship seriously. You concluded he wasn’t ready for one.

While walking down the halls you see someone that made you rethink your life again. It was Colby. You were starstruck but quick enough to turn around in hopes he didn’t see you. “Damn.” you thought, you ain’t going through secluded area anymore. Proven to be bad luck.

“Y/n.” you heard a soft voice coming from the end of the hallway. While in the middle of thought, you just decide to talk to him, whats the worst that could happen?

“yes?” you respond quietly. “You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” he says, on the verge of tears. When he says that, all you could do was stare. The person you were so in love with, and who just left you with no hesitation, can’t move on. You honestly weren’t surprised. Colby has always had attachment issues, but never had a problem going out to parties and having bitches in his bed.

Colby’s pov (first):

I’m still searching for Y/n. This house is too big to be looking for one person. out the corner of my eye, I see Tara. I always knew her and Tara were close so if she was here, Tara would know where she was. “Hey Tara,” I start. “Oh hey Colby! Long time no see.” she smiles and pulls me into a hug. “Yeah it has, but anyway;” I rush to get her off of me. She just looks at me a little irritated and confused, but she listens. “Have you seen Y/n? Is she here?” I ask, eager to know. “Woah slow down buddy, I don’t even think she wants to see you.” She tells me.

“What do you mean?” I frowned. “I don’t know, when i mentioned you to her she just went pale and walked off.” she explains. “Dude, you must’ve really fucked up.” Tara laughs. “Yeah I did, and i’m trying to fix it. Where did she walk to?” I ask, once again. “Uhhh she went overrrr…” she scans the room. “Oh! She went over to that empty corridor over there.” she finished. I didn’t even thank her, I just rushed to the corridor in hopes of finding her.

I stop at the entrance and I see her. She’s walking down kinda fast. As soon as she sees me, she turns around to walk the other way. This broke my heart, she really doesn’t want to see me. I build up the courage to say

“Y/n.” I call out. She stops dead in her tracks, I bet a million things are going on in her head. “yes?” she responds quietly. My heart skips a beat. “You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” I say, on the verge of letting a river out of my eyes. She turns around then, and I can see that beautiful face I fell in love with, that i’m still in love with.

Y/n pov:

“What do you want to say?” you question, but not very curious because you knew he was gonna give you some bs story. “Y/n i’ve missed you so much. Ever since I left and didn’t get to apologize, I broke-“ “Are you fucking serious?” you ask.

He looks at you with confusion. “You had 4 months. 4 month to try and reach out to me. I know I have you blocked on everything but you could’ve came to my apartment, or you could’ve tried Sam’s phone.” you state. “I-I know I could’ve, but when the time came I would’ve did that.” he lies. “But you didn’t. You left me, no goodbye or anything and you expect me to hear you out? You killed me, everything in me. I can’t go through that again.”

“Wait Y/n please let me explain-“. “No, if listen to you more, i’m gonna punch you in the face. You have to move on. You have to understand I was wronged in that relationship, I just can’t do that a second time.” you say, with tears spilling out your almond shaped eyes. At this point Colby was crying so hard. “Y/n please-“. “Goodbye Colby.” you conclude, and walk out the corridor.

I hope you guys liked it! I really enjoyed writing this but it all happened while something crazy happened. Helped me keep calm:)

Masterlist

[ladyzirkonia]

Until your song is written.

I must shamelessly take this opportunity to thank you all. Yesterday I reached 100 followers and I can't believe that there are so many people who enjoy reading my stuff. I would like to take this opportunity to open my question and request box. Don't be shy to send me questions or ideas you want to discuss, whether it is Dinbo stuff or something about Mandalorian culture.

This is the way.

The scene starts with a completely shattered Bo-Katan. You can tell that she has to pull herself together not to burst into tears. Her confession about the night of a thousand tears and the memory of it seem to torment her. She hears Din approaching and tries to compose herself by briefly closing her eyes.

I think Din apologizing to Bo is one of the most beautiful things in this scene. He admits once again in this season that he was wrong. Din Djarin knows no false pride and has no problem admitting mistakes. And he admits what's been said about her being selfish and uncaring isn't true. It seems to have touched him that Bo-Katan gave up the darksaber for her people, gave up the claim to the regency.

Din steps up to her after she repeatedly blames herself for everything. He tries to build her up, not downplay what she did or what happened, just making sure that he wants to help her. He says: ''WE will rebuild it.'' A foreshadowing that you both should bring the future for Mandalore?

She doubts herself, still. She has made so many mistakes, mistakes that are unforgivable, that she cannot undo. How is she supposed to be the one to hold her people together in all the animosity?

Din repeatedly makes it clear that this weapon means nothing to him and his people. I think it's really ironic that so many have a problem with Din giving up the darksaber. He just doesn't care. It's just a story, a legend that doesn't matter until people believe it. And he also makes it clear what really matters to him, he basically tells us what it means to him to be a good Mandalorian.

When Din mentions the term honor, she seems to sigh slightly and raises her head. She's heard those words from him too many times. For a short break it seems that his words are bothering Bo-Katan. Honor... This is the way. It seems to be a constantly repeating mantra.

Din appreciates Bo-Katan's loyalty and character. These things that have been most important to him since we saw him first time in season 1. And Bo seems to appreciate his words as you can see a very faint smile on her lips. It's good to hear such words after years of being reminded of her failure by others.

That's why I serve you Lady Kryce. After this words I really think Din Djarin's love language is act's of service as he showed many times to different people who he cared for. He is not a man of many or fancy words, but of deeds. So what's a better way to show his affection than to offer his services to her. She doesn't have to go through this alone, he wants to stand by her side.

Bo-Katan turns her head to him after his words. It's obvious that she wanted to hide her feelings before and remained with her back to him. Now she shows him her face for the first time in this conversation. Din Djarin has managed to amaze her time and time again, and her expression softens because of his words to her.

Din gives her hope. Your story is not over yet. Her song is not yet written. The Mandalorian's main musical theme sounds in the backround. He begins to weave his fate irreversibly into hers.

I know some people have wrote, more or less jokingly, that this could be Din Djarins wedding vow. But it's not that exaggerated and ridiculous. We must not forget that the Mandalorians are based on a clan system of warriors. If Mandalorians are one thing, it's very pragmatic. Marriage is consummated between the two partners alone and in any place. Just before or after a fight, the couple doesn't even have to be in the same place. The marriage can even be consummated via voice or text messages. (if you are interested in this kind of topic, please tell me!!)

Honor and loyalty means everything to Din. He would not lightly pledge his life to someone. It means exactly what you suspected, he stands by her side until death.

Screenshots are mine. Gifs made by the wondeful @itberice. Please go and leave a follow and some love there!

[noraiir-arts]

Does anyone else have very complicated ways of shipping?? like when i say "i ship them" i don't mean "oh they love each other so much they kiss each other and will be together forever" i ship characters but in a way that's unique to only them and/or only in certain scenarios

Like, for example Zelink- I think pre-calam zelink was one sided, i dislike post-calam zelink, but i sort of like totk zelink (yes i know they are the same two people) but only certain dynamics??? but i also think that its the type of love that goes unsaid, they just look out for and support each other, maybe its not entirely romantic but they are closer than friends. It's the type of closeness you can only get by knowing that no matter what lifetime you are in the other will always be there. I don't think its necessarily the type where they hide behind pillars to make out, or try to stay in a committed relationship, but more of a tired love, one that has been renewed throughout hundreds of lives, each time being something different.

But take skyward sword, i believe that it's easier to see romantic zelink here

or Miphlink - I don't really ship this, but it's a tragic one-sided love story that Mipha knew was doomed from the beginning. The other woman. Was never given enough time to tell Link how she felt, yet even if she had time he might not have returned her feelings. Now he barely remembers her. Maybe 100 years later she's a little embarrassed of herself, of what she wrote in her diary. Maybe it was a simple crush, mistaken for undying love and has dwindled over the past century. But now it's a sad love, the type where she grieves for what used to be, and what never will. But after being saved from Ruta she switches her sights towards the domain. She can see how much her brother has grown and is so proud of him. She knows Link will never remember her fully, but maybe it's for the best. No matter what, she will always be there to heal his wounds.

Tbh i was dragged into Revalink kicking and screaming, but now it's one of my favorites. - Their dynamics work so well, but oh no it's so sad. Started from a one-sided "rivalry" to some sort of friendship. Link never hated Revali, he didn't even dislike him. And Revali just wanted Link to be impressed, to understand why he was chosen for his role as pilot, and he wanted Link to prove himself to Revali (honestly i can go on a on about why revali was harsh to link in botw if anyone wants me to) But over time they both start to realize that they are more similar to each other than any of the other champions. They weren't born into noble families or blessed with magic. Revali learns about the vigorous training Link underwent after pulling the sword, and Link learns that Revali isn't the son of the elder or was an important figure in his village before becoming a champion, but a simple warrior just like Link. Their friendship grows and they become a great team, surprising mostly everyone. Maybe it grows into something more. Maybe neither of them know it. Maybe they just never admit it. Revali knows Link doesn't remember him. He doesn't want him to. He tells Link not to go asking about him to the princess. It's for the best, he will still be there to help Link after all. Maybe it's cruel to keep him from knowing. Well, Revali will be gone soon anyway. Maybe he hopes that Link will at least remember good things about him.

Honestly I love revalink aus, they are my fav!!

I think of Zelimpa (aoc) like a mix of how i described miphlink and revalink but im too tired to explain it rnnnnn

oh also urbosa/zelda's mom but i think that goes unsaid

but anyway these are just a few. Most of the time i can't use words to exactly explain something pictured in my head, (synesthesia is so silly) but i tried my best

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 29: Trouble

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M? (Still figuring out the rating system) (might eventually be M anyhow)

* Warnings: language, someone tailing Stella

* Word count: 4,314ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all

Author's note: Oh shoooot 👀. Things are getting interesting! And okay, I only lasted two days, but I got the finale chapter done, and I wanted a reward. 😂😂😂 Also a fun fact about this chapter, it was the first chapter I wrote for this story a little over a year ago. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Ryan and Stella were out riding. There was no work to be done and Ryan wanted to take the opportunity to check in with his little sister. It had been a little while since they had one on one time. Since he’s been her primary guardian for so long, even though she was a full adult now, he still liked to make sure she was okay. He never wanted her to feel like she was alone in dealing with whatever life threw at them.

“So truly Stellee, how are you?” Both of them came to a stop at the top of a hill overlooking the valley back to the ranch.

Stella pursed her lips and sighed quietly to herself while adjusting her glasses. “I’m okay, Ry. There’s just been a lot going on.”

He nods in understanding, looking her over. She was shifting, seemingly uncomfortable in her saddle, which was the farthest thing from true. That woman was more comfortable in a saddle than on her own two legs. Her bay roan mare, Abigail, whom he gifted her at 16 was also fidgety. Kayce and Stella had both worked together to make sure that the horse was as solid as a rock. She was feisty, sure, but solid. She was sure to give away how Stella was feeling though.

“You know I don’t fully believe you, right?”

Stella barked out a laugh, “Oh really now? And why is that?”

“You’ve got a tell, sis. It also doesn’t help that your mare gives you away either.” Ryan smirked.

“I mean, I’m not lying when I say there’s been a lot going on this year. Lee, the bear, Jenkins, Malcolm.” She glared at the horizon at the thought of the platinum haired man. “The stupid shit with Kayce. There is a lot going on at the repro barn over at Olivia’s.”

Ryan smoothly interrupts, “but…,” he drug out.

“But,” Stella huffs, giving him a pointed look, “a couple times on my way here recently, someone has followed me.” She decided to fess up without much of a fight because there was no use trying to get around Ryan when he wanted information. He’s very persistent and she’s the same way. They would have dug themselves into the ground and died before giving in. Being followed was also starting to bother her.

“Excuse me Stella Lee?! You’re just telling me this now?!”

“Well at first I didn’t think too much about it! A lot of people drive back this way. The second time was after that thing with Malcolm.”

“So why didn’t you tell me then?” She could visibly see his blood pressure rising higher and higher.

“I wanted to be 100% sure they were actually tailing me. Third times the charm, right?” She defended weakly.

“Wait, the third time?” His face turned to stone.

“Today.” At this point, if he would have been able to physically implode and survive, he would have. Stella swore she heard an explosion of the sound barrier as he took off back toward the ranch.

“Fuck.” Stella motioned and Abigail kicked it into high gear. She had to beat Ryan before he caused a ruckus and bothered everyone.

Ryan knew he needed to tell Rip or John. Something wasn’t right and he had to beat Stella there. He adored her stubborn and independent nature, but sometimes it was capable of giving him aneurysms.

In the distance Ryan could see John, Rip, and Kayce by the outer fence talking amongst themselves. Lloyd was closer to him and was trying to flag him down.

“Ho, Ryan! Where’s the fire?”

As he rushes by Lloyd, “I need to get to them before Stella does!”

“She ain’t far behind you.” Lloyd said quietly and looked in the direction of the woman in question. She and that mare were closing in on the round pen with an extensive cloud of dust following. Stella’s face was more determined than he had ever witnessed and he worried for Ryan’s safety.

Ryan came to an abrupt stop in front of the three men, out of breath and rushing to get words out, “Someone has been following Stella. Three times on her way here, and god knows how many other times she’s failed to mention to me.”

In a swift motion with the sharpness of a damn good cattle horse, Stella and Abigail swept in and bounced to a solid stop between Ryan and the others.

“Ryan! Don’t bother them with this! It’s probably just me being paranoid.” She rolled her eyes and moved her glasses back to the bridge of her nose. She really wasn’t feeling having any of her bosses involved. Kayce especially.

“No. It’s you being observant of something that’s out of place.” He pointed at her. “You trying to brush it off the way you are? Is gonna get you kidnapped or killed.”

“Or both,” Rip chimed in from behind them making Stella whip her head around. She had forgotten they had an audience.

“Or worse,” Kayce added with a serious look.

She groaned, “Not you too…,” she trailed off as she finally took notice of the look he was giving her and stopped all forms of argument. They hadn’t had a real chance to speak much since his visit with Monica the other night. Only the one time and it didn’t end great. Her shoulders dropped. It was three against one.

“You’re staying here for a little while. Isn’t she Ryan?” The direct eye contact from Kayce pinned Stella to her spot as he made his declaration final and he didn’t break the contact to talk to Ryan either.

“Yes Kayce, I couldn’t agree more.”

“Ryan, you stay here. Stella, come up to the barn with me.” She rolled her eyes, mostly to herself and the situation she had gotten herself into, but kept up behind Kayce and his mustang nonetheless.

As they were breaking down their horses it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Stella was a speedy little thing when it came to break down. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel. She wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence. If she finished and got out of the barn before he could catch her? She would be just fine with that.

She hung Abigail’s halter on the outside stall hook as she shut and latched the door. Before she had a chance to turn around, there was a heavy hand that gripped her up and tugged her to the tack room.

In a flurry of noise the door slammed shut behind her and the offending person. Quickly Stella turned around while cocking back her fist. She was fairly certain it was Kayce, but she would rather be safe than sorry, and he deserved a punch from her. So she was fine with it either way.

He grabbed her wrist as she swung her balled fist toward his nose. She visibly relaxed when she realized her assumption was correct. It didn’t ease her irritation, however.

“What the fuck Kayce,” she flicked the brim of his cowboy hat with a huff and pulled her wrist from him. She noticed she was in his personal bubble and tried to back up.

“You’re staying here until we tell you otherwise. Don’t even bother trying to fight me on it. Ryan agrees and will fight you with me, so there’s no use.”

“Kayce, I’m sure it’s just me being paranoid. A lot of people drive back and forth past here every day. It’s a popular road.”

Kayce pulled her back in toward him trying to make a point, “I would like to not have to plead on the six o’clock to get you back or find you murdered.” He leaned closer as if she was about to disappear into thin air.

She adjusted her glasses thinking how she should really get them tightened. It also didn’t help that it was a nervous habit. She looked down in defeat.

“Okay fine. But you’re taking me back to get my clothes for my undetermined stay.” She poked his chest as his body sagged forward. Yes they had been avoiding each other, but she was one of his best friends. Longest friend at least.

“We just want you safe, Stellfire.”

“I know, ya big dumb cowboy,” she smiled and gave him a friendly shove, “now let’s go before they think I’m still being the other woman in the tack room.” She missed the fall of Kayce’s face as she walked away.

Ryan grimaced. He hadn’t meant to cause such a fuss. Other than the ranch and being a livestock agent, his little sister was his everything. They had been through hell and back, and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to her and he couldn’t get to her quick enough.

“Sir, I’m so sorry to bring this up to you all like this. I just know something isn’t right and I needed someone to know before she could stop me. And I mean you saw her coming —,” John interrupted.

“She looked like the devil herself coming for reckoning. It’s something I’ve seen in you both.” Ryan almost let a look of pride slip through at John’s admission, but he held it together.

“You’re my lead livestock agent for a reason, Ryan.” John tried to hide a small smile, “We can have her stay here. It’s probably safer than her place anyway.”

Rip offered, “I’ll follow behind to keep an eye out with Lloyd. You or Kayce can run her in a different car.”

“Kayce is gonna take me.” The pair sauntered up to the group from behind. Rip could see Ryan’s hesitation at the thought of not being close to his sister.

“Ryan, why don’t you back Lloyd and I up on the way?”

Ryan came out of the bunkhouse and stopped for a minute to look at his sister. She could most certainly be hell on wheels more often than not most days. He liked to think it was all the years of holding her own with the bunkhouse. He knew that it was a trait shared between them as well.

Even though she was rough and tumble, she had a soft and gentle grace about her. Especially when having a heart to heart with someone. Her being stubborn as a mule was giving him grey hairs, but he couldn’t be more proud of the woman he had raised. Of course, with the help of the wranglers. ‘It takes a village,’ he thought to himself.

Stella could feel eyes on her as she threw a couple of empty duffle bags into Kayce’s truck. She glanced around and spotted her brother giving her a look. She tilted her head at him with her eyebrows scrunched together. He shook his head and went about getting things for the ride together.

It almost felt like an out of body experience looking at the men around her. There was an immense feeling of humility that swarmed in through her lungs and filled her chest. These tough as nails cowboys truly cared about her. They cared enough to rally around her and try their damndest to keep her safe. She studied each of them with a loving fondness. She had grown up with these men, and they had always remained a steady constant in her life. For that, she was grateful. She realized that this place, these people, really did feel like home. If she thought about it hard enough, she might get misty eyed.

Finally, forest brown eyes met a matching set as Stella felt the breath in her lungs get caught. Kayce gauged her actions, trying to decipher if she was okay without asking. She shook her head and smiled at him to let him know she was indeed okay. Ryan made his way over to the pair while clearing his throat, feeling like he was interrupting some unspoken conversation.

“You almost ready, Stellee?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but there's a flaw in the plan that I just thought of.”

“What’s that, Stella-belle?” Rip questioned from over by his truck.

She readjusted her glasses and looked around to her brother, almost like she did when she was little and needed reassurance. “Well if they’re planning on following me back, they aren’t going to do it if it’s Kayce’s truck that leaves here.”

Ryan sighed and dropped his head, “As much as I hate to agree with her, she’s right.”

Kayce reached into the back of his truck and grabbed the duffles and on his way past Stella said, “You can out-maneuver them, right?”

“Kayce… I hang out with a bunch of cowboys,” she laughed, “and if I can’t outrun them? Then we’ll get lost in these here hills, baby.” There was a pause between all of them. The men quickly picked up Stella’s hidden meaning.

“Plus, I’ll have one of the best shots on the ranch riding shotgun.” She smirked in Kayce’s direction. She loved to give him a hard time about his itchy trigger finger. He gave her a soft shove as if he was telling her to fuck off, and she giggled and hopped into her car.

Everyone loaded up in their respective vehicles. Stella thought Ryan had hopped into Rip’s truck, but the interior light kicked on and the car moved as Ryan’s weight settled into her backseat. She made eye contact with her brother in the rearview mirror, and silently asked him what he was doing.

He raised his eyebrows at her, “You think I’m not about to be in your car to protect you?” He stopped short for a second realizing one of his bosses was in the front seat, “No offense.” Kayce smirked as Stella put the SUV in drive.

She pulled to the end of the long driveway. She looked in both directions checking for signs of the car from earlier. She didn’t see anything, but there was still a definitive hesitation in her movements. Things were suddenly very real to her.

Kayce says softly, “Hey, it's okay Stellfire. We’ve got you. Just do what you would normally do. We’ll worry about the rest.”

Ryan watched the gentle nature Kayce used with his sister. It was almost similar to the way you would approach a green horse. There was something softer about it though. Ryan couldn’t quite put his finger on what was going on. He knew there wasn’t anything going on between them any longer, but he didn’t know if Kayce was kissing his sister’s ass or being genuine. He squinted at Stella in the rearview, but didn’t say anything. She pulled out and to the left, took a deep breath and began her normal trek home. The only thing different was she had four guests in tow this time.

Rip and Lloyd pulled out a few minutes behind everyone else. They wanted to leave enough space in between to be able to box in whoever was following Stella. If they decided to follow her again.

“You know Lloyd, I’ve got a bad feelin’ about this.”

“I was feelin’ the same way. Especially if whoever these people are, are coming after little bit.”

“Because none of us would let her get involved in some shit like this, well this part of it anyhow.”

“Especially Ryan.” They chuckled knowing that he could be kind of a helicopter when it came to his little sister.

“That boy sure has tried his hardest raising her right.”

“And he’s done a damn fine job. That stays here, Lloyd.” The men smiled at each other.

Halfway between the Yellowstone and the outskirts of downtown, a silver four door sedan pulled out behind the white SUV. Ryan and Kayce noticed that Stella’s body language tensed up, but she refused to say anything to them. They felt her accelerate slightly. Ryan glanced out the back, and Kayce was looking through the side mirror. They easily spotted the car, and let each other know they had seen it.

“Don’t speed up Stella. Remember, we’re both here.” Ryan gently reminded her. Her shoulders relaxed as she found her brother’s gaze in the mirror before looking back to the road ahead.

“You’re just driving home. Nothing out of the ordinary.” Kayce added.

Ryan turned around in the back seat to observe the car again. The windows were, of course, tinted so dark that he could barely make out that the car was being driven by a person in general. ‘Why would this shit be easy?’ He rolled his eyes, turning around to pick up his ringing phone. It was Lloyd calling.

“Yeah?”

“We’re a couple miles back, but there’s a silver car that’s tailing you.”

“We’ve got them in sights. They aren’t subtle if that’s them.”

“They probably think she’s oblivious and hasn’t noticed them at all. Rip wants to say something, put it on speaker.”

Ryan engaged the speaker, and they all heard Rip clear his throat. “Stella?”

“Yessir?”

“When you get to your house, I want you and your brother to hop out and go inside. Kayce,” he paused for a few seconds as Kayce presented himself, “You stay outside. Watch every move that these motherfuckers make if they pull in behind you.”

Kayce nodded even though Rip couldn’t see him, “Roger that.” He also heard the unspoken order to shoot to kill if necessary. For Stella, he would change the landscape if he had to.

“Where will you be Rip?” They all clearly heard the nervous tick in her voice. It almost made Ryan grab for her hand like when they were kids. She sounded so small and he hated that.

“We’ll be right outside of view, either following them or making sure they stay off of your property, sweetheart. You go get your stuff. We’ve got the rest.” Rip finished and Lloyd ended the call.

Stella lived just a little ways out in between the ranch and downtown. She had neighbors, but they definitely weren’t close. Ryan grimaced at the thought of his sister being by herself out here.

Stella pulled her car around the driveway and around to the back. She pulled it up to face out toward the road again. Putting it in park, she looked at Kayce. “Alright Kace, I know you’re always carrying, but in case you need extra,” they locked eyes, “it’s holstered in the glove box.” His mouth upturned at the corner proudly, ‘Just like I taught her.’ He quickly nodded as he flipped his baseball cap backwards.

Stella ignored the clenching of her stomach at the attractive maneuver. There was always something about a man in a backwards ball cap that caught her eye. She hopped out and started to walk toward her house as Ryan followed sidling up beside her.

“This is the bad thing about you having a wooded driveway, and all the way out here. Can’t get much of a heads up.”

She smiled at her brother and let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, but no one can witness the aftermath.”

Ryan’s face screwed up at the confession, “My god, you’ve got to stop hanging out with Rip.”

Her laughter got stuck in her throat as she reached out to unlock her door. Her whole body tensed.

“Ry…,” she said so quietly Ryan almost missed it. She took a deep breath, “it’s unlocked.”

“Did you leave it like that?”

She breathed out harshly and shook her head. Ryan stepped in front of her.

“Stay behind me and do exactly as I say.” Stella wasn’t about to argue.

Ryan opened the door wide, dropped the duffel bags to his far right, and drew his weapon within 10 seconds. She followed suit and went to the concealed weapon underneath the front table and hoped it was still there.

He heard the snip of her gun safety being switched off behind him. He immediately went to the right and into the den taking a wide gap to the left. Stella made sure to clear the rest of the room and the straight view into her kitchen. They swapped places back and forth in a fatal dance going from room to room. Being taught by her brother not only kept him sharp, but it gave Stella the knowledge to help in this situation.

They finally finished clearing the house. She holstered her weapon back and pulled it from its compartment under the table and hooked it to her belt. With a heavy sigh, she reached down to grab the bags.

“What’s wrong Stellee?” Ryan came up from the small hallway that led to her kitchen.

“Someone was in my house, Ryan. That’s what’s wrong.” She said curtly.

“You’re sure you didn’t just forget to lock the door in your rush to get to the ranch today?”

“Yes Ryan,” he could hear the stress dripping in her voice, “not only was my door unlocked, which I never do mind you, but some stuff was out of place. It definitely wasn’t how I left it. And it feels like someone offensive has been in here.”

“Well let's get you outta here.”

Kayce got out of the SUV once the tight knit siblings made it inside. He had seen Stella tense at the door and had almost ran to the porch. He knew that if she needed the help, she would have made it clear. So he held off.

He looked around the back driveway and yard. The parking spots were messy dirt and gravel. It was a shot in the dark that he would see tracks because they had driven over them, but it was worth a glance.

He stood, huffed and placed a hand on his hip as he surveyed the surroundings. Nothing appeared to be out of place. Except a piece of paper that fluttered because it had gotten stuck against the railing in the nighttime Montana breeze. He didn’t think anything of it and grabbed it. It wasn’t uncommon for trash to blow around every now and again. He almost crumpled it up, but Stella’s name in larger font caught his eye.

“What the,” he whispered. He heard the door close. He quickly folded it up and put it in his jacket pocket. He cleared his throat, “everything alright?”

“For all intents and purposes, yes. It’s okay.” Stella readjusted the duffel bags on her shoulder and her glasses with her forearm as she made her way down the porch steps. Kayce met her at the bottom and took the bags from her and put them in her back seat.

“On the back half of that though, somebody was in my house.”

“What?!” Kayce started toward the house, but Stella’s hand in the middle of his chest stopped him.

She shook her head, “let me clarify, someone had been in there. Ryan and I checked the house. No one was in there at the time. I’m ready to get the fuck outta here though,” she slipped her hand away from his chest and made her way to the driver’s seat, “let’s go home gentlemen.” They met up with Rip and Lloyd at the end of her drive. With a nod from Rip to Stella, they made it back to the ranch without any more incident.

Stella got out of her SUV and leaned on the back door, locking her elbows to keep her upright. She was exhausted. Her head started to pound from all the tension being released from her neck and shoulders.

“You alright, sugar?” Kayce came up and touched her elbow. She jerked a little bit, being pulled back into reality.

“Yeah…,” He reached for her arm again and pulled her into a hug. She melted into him and he heard her sniffle. She was tired of avoiding him. She needed her best friend.

“Hey, hey. It’s gonna be alright.” He placed his hand on the back of her head allowing her to hide her face in his chest, “you’re safe, sugar.”

She raised her head partially, “I know. The stress is just leaving. I’ll be fine after some sleep and some hard manual labor for a few days.”

It was comfortably quiet between the pair. Kayce still had her in an embrace. He could feel the tension slowly leaving her the longer they stood there. He could also feel that if they stood there any longer, she would most definitely fall asleep standing up.

He patted her on the back, “Your brother is probably wondering why you haven’t made it inside yet. Let’s get you settled in, yeah?” Stella nodded, too tired to speak anymore. Kayce grabbed the bags out of the back seat, and gently directed her to head inside.

When she crossed the threshold to the bunkhouse, there was a slight lull in the usual loud activity before everyone jumped to greet her. She greeted them quietly back and made a beeline to the empty bunk that Kayce used when he first came back since Jamie took the one she usually took. Ryan had a clear view from here. She knew she could let herself relax, even if it was only for a few short hours.

Everyone quieted. They weren’t used to seeing Stella so defeated. Kayce made eyes at Ryan, Rip, and Lloyd and nodded toward the outside. He didn’t want her to hear about the note.

Lloyd started off, “That silver car slowed up at her drive until they spotted us.”

“We followed them into downtown as far as we could, but with the fuckin’ traffic we lost them.” Rip was pissed.

Kayce pulled the note out of his jacket pocket. “I found this on the stairs at Stella’s.” He handed the note off so the others could take a look. “Even though she's not as involved with any of the shit that happens here, somebody sure as hell thinks she is.”

“Someone is trying to find vulnerable spots. This is about to be a shit show.” Ryan said.

Rip directed, “We’ll talk to Mr. Dutton in the morning. Let the girl get some rest for now.” He took a second and looked to the youngest Dutton, “Oh and Kayce?” Rip paused. “Don’t let Stella see that.”

[netherworldpost]

From 2016 through 2018, Evil Supply Co. (hi, it me, we are rebranding) published 21 monster newspapers detailing the lives and tomfooleries of ghosts, witches, mermaids, monsters, dragons, gorgons, wizards, rock creatures, goblins, orcs... etc.

The Complete Evil Supply Co. collection is available for free via PDF by clicking this link here.

Please feel free to share. Please feel free to link to it on your own blog or media or whatevers.

The link will take you to a Google Drive page, so when I say "there is no obligation or sign ups" I mean it. I won't even know that you downloaded it.

You can of course tell me. But you don't have to.

The entire point of making this public is to give you something without asking for something in return.

Every issue. Every in-universe ad. A few extra rambles at the beginning and end discussing the future. It's just over 100 pages and something like 40- 50,000 words. I counted once and it took forever.

I've been making it free for years and have given away several copies because the community of folks who love monsters and Halloween and mermaids has provided me an audience to build an unimaginably fun life.

A company can exist for many reasons. Making the world a better place via a utopian paradise is one of mine.

When I say this project is my life's work, I mean it.

I'm getting far too sappy.

Let's talk about the future a moment.

I have been exploring various printed versions of the book for months. I'm hoping to narrow down a company to work with sometime before the store launches (Autumn 2023). Did you know that books are absurdly heavy?

The printed version will not be free. The link above (and here, we love utility in this crypt) is formatted to print fine on 8.5" x 11" paper. It is again though 100+ pages, so do be aware. The PDF will always be free, even after said printed version launches.

Onwards to next, non-secret things

Remember this? I've signed a contract today to build a microsite on the blog that will house the Dispatch in web format. This is third in priority --

blog (April 2023)

shop (Autumn 2023)

Dispatch microsite (...?)

-- for obvious reasons. The PDF will be available for free for as long as I run this company, this is not a limited time offer. I mentioned that above but I like mentioning things, including "I like mentioning things."

The existence of non-secret things implies... secret... things?

Kinda.

One of the features of the blog that I'm really excited to offer is advice columns and in-character pen pal exchanges. "Hey Strawberry, how does magic work underwater?" and then you'll get a reply if your ask is chosen.

And by reply I mean a published thing online + an actual physical letter in the mail as this company is a non-governmental postal facility after all. A post office, if you will. A Netherworld Post Office, even!

The stories from Evil Supply Co.'s dispatch are serving as a near-final draft of new stories.

Or maybe a solid starter. Anyway, the point being:

All of the plot points and characters (etc) are sticking around (with the exception of Atticus, as a fictional character in the newspaper, I've decided to just be a semi-fictional character in actual real life).

The direction of new stories is "more of everything" and "cleaning up minor plot point holes" and/or "using plot point holes for comedic purposes and strategic hilarity."

There will be a brand new character replacing the Atticus character.

I really liked running the Dispatch. It was one of the things I'm most proud of -- a monster newspaper?! all original content!! I drew it all, I wrote it all!

I want to explore bringing it back in some form.

And.

I recognize I have a lot on my plate at the moment. So the best path forward is, as above, giving away the base + building the microsite.

One of the beautiful things, I have come to realize after surviving my 2020 traffic accident + ensuing as well as not related legal battles to get people to pay me what they owe:

I have a lot of time.

I don't need to rush things.

Whoops!

Wrong link.

Try this one instead.

(That terrible joke was as immensely satisfying to write as you think it was. Doubly so if you get that the link is from Ocarina of Time and I was just talking about time okay I'll see myself to the door this post has gone on way too long.)

Let's wrap this up!

NetherworldPost.com has the email signup.

If you've signed up before, the auto- duplication- resolution- witchcraft- tech- things will take care of it. You won't get a ton of emails.

First email will go out saying "blog is launched" when said blog launches and then rambles thereafter.

(Bugs Bunny and others gifs used in this post do not appear but are included as helping legibility of said this post.)

[sapphire-weapon]

I often think about the ending jetski scene. Before Ashley's "Mission accomplished, right?" She steals a look at Leon (that pouty look), and the way she says it makes me feel like she sort of believes that Leon only cares about her because she is his mission. She seems sad about "mission being accomplished", because it means this is where Leon and she will part ways.

But then Leon replies "Mission accomplished... when you are home safe." Maybe he does want to prolong the time he can spend with her too. And I think that reply ignites some hope in Ashley, that's why she tests the water by asking if he wants to be her personal detail.

Also, the music in that scene is giving me a lot of vibes.

What do you think of that exchange in that scene?

I'm being 100% honest when I say that, the very first time I beat this game, there was a half-second where my brain legitimately thought they were going to kiss during that scene. And it was this weird moment of cognitive dissonance because I also knew that it was completely insane for me to think that, but that's what their body language was doing, that's what the tone of their voices was doing, and that's how the scene was being paced.

And I didn't even think she was going to kiss him -- I thought he was going to kiss her! WHICH IS EVEN MORE INSANE TO THINK. But that little pause between her saying "Thank you for saving me" and Leon going "Don't mention it" I just was like... ???????? Capcom what are you doing??????

Look at the way they're fucking looking at each other and the way that Leon is leaning back towards her are you fucking kidding me with this shit

Honestly, he probably wanted to. Kiss her, that is. After everything they went through together and the bond that they formed and all that Leon had to overcome mentally and emotionally in order to get them both out of there alive... to hear her actually say the words out loud "You saved me" was probably more powerful and more moving for him than any "I love you" he's ever heard.

Don't forget that Ashley is Leon's first success story. He made the decision to study criminal justice at 18 in order to go into law enforcement at 21 with the desire and motivation to protect people. Now, he's 27 -- nearly ten years removed from that initial decision -- and he has only ever watched people die and gotten people killed instead. There were probably so many emotions going through him in this moment that it's actually impressive that he didn't lean back and kiss her -- or even choke up and cry. (Though, you can tell he kind of wanted to do both. Probably at the same time.)

I don't think that Ashley thinks that Leon only cares about her because of the mission; I just think that she knows that their time together is about to come to an end, and she's not sure how he's feeling about it, so she's trying to figure out from which angle she wants to approach the "I don't want you to disappear from my life" conversation.

And while Leon has the emotional intelligence of a bird (and that's on a good day), he does actually pick up on what she's trying to do with that line. That's why his response back to her is "Mission accomplished... when you're home safe." It's his way of saying "It's not quite over yet. We still have a little bit more time."

But then, when she pushes the issue, he's forced to face the uncomfortable reality of the circumstances of his own life. RE4make is a fairy tale, and Leon knows that fairy tales aren't real. When the story ends and the real world comes back and takes over, this dream of a romance they've been sharing will end, too.

That's why the very first piece of meta I wrote for this game was about his line "You don't need me." There's nothing that Leon would love more than to stay in this dream world of a fairy tale with her forever -- to remain at her side as her loyal knight until the end of days -- but he can't. And he knows he can't.

All he can do is try to assure her that things will be okay when they both wake up. But I'm not sure he believes it, himself.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Last week I wrote a post about the first episode of Taskmaster season 16. In it, I kept talking about something I’ve wondered for quite a while about Lucy Beaumont, which is how much of her schtick is a character. After posting that, I became a bit worried that might post might fall into a somewhat common, shitty trope where people are less likely to ascribe agency to a female comedian who seems strange than to a male one.

I first heard of this idea when I heard Rose Matafeo talk about it some time ago, because she has an emotional breakdown on stage at the end of her award-winning stand-up show Horndog, and she said that afterward, a lot of people asked if she was okay because they thought she had genuinely lost it, rather than written a show that ended with a breakdown. And not that that problem never happens to male comedians, but I think it happens less often, as people are more likely to trust that a male comedian is doing this on purpose, but might think a female comedian just doesn’t have control over her own act.

So I wondered, a bit, if I was falling into that by wondering whether or not Lucy Beaumont genuinely believes the ghost of a dog gets into bed with her at night and she doesn’t understand how road speed rules work differently from a television show. Especially because there is a male comedian making really daft comments for comedic effect right next to her, and I can use that as a contrast. When Sam Campbell tells a weird story about people who rescued divers, I know he’s aware that that’s a ludicrous idea to bring in, and is saying it because it’s funny. So why would I wonder whether Lucy Beaumont is saying her ridiculous things because “she’s just like that”.

To be clear, I don’t think she might be literally “just like that”. I mean, I know she knows she’s on TV and meant to be doing comedy. I know that when she says things, she says them because she thinks they’ll be funny. I guess my main question with her is whether we’re supposed to think she’s 100% in character, like the way someone like Nick Helm plays a character, or if she is just “playing herself” and “herself” happens to be someone who likes daft comedy. I think that’s what I was wondering. I know she has to be quite an intelligent person, because you can’t put a career together as successfully as Lucy Beaumont has if you’re not. You can’t be that funny if you don’t know what you’re doing. People being genuinely really daft is not as funny as smart people playing up daftness for comedy. I do know that.

And then I thought, maybe Sam Campbell isn’t the comparison I should be using. I have asked almost this exact same question before about Paul Chowdhry, and maybe that’s closer. I know that when Paul Chowdhry says something funny, he’s saying it because he’s aware that it will be funny. But also, it’s really hard for me to tell how much is a character and how much is him. I feel the same way about Lucy Beaumont, and I’m glad I’ve found an example of a male comedian I feel the same way about, suggesting that it’s not just something I ask about female comedians because I don’t want to give them credit for control over their own persona. I know she’s controlling it through intelligence and comedic skill. I just don’t know exactly how.

Last year, I listened to Paul Chowdhry’s episode of the Comedian’s Comedian podcast, in the hopes that it would answer some of those questions about him. I got very few answers, but it was a fascinating interview, and a bit amusing to hear Stuart Goldsmith so on the back foot, audibly very aware of the challenge in front of him, to try to get a sincere, out-of-character conversation out of the notoriously opaque Paul Chowdhry. Today, I listened to Lucy Beaumont’s (quite recent) episode of that podcast for the same reason, hoping for some insight into how her persona works.

I’ve just heard the following exchange, as they discuss how she writes her characters:

Lucy Beaumont: There’s no secret formula [for writing], it’s just really really hard, and you will get there. But with Paula [major character in Hullraisers, the TV sitcom that Lucy Beaumont’s written] – Paula definitely was a dead person coming through to me. I couldn’t shut her voice off, and her voice was so clear that it made me think it just was someone who was dead, and I was picking up on their energy. To Hull and Back [Lucy Beaumont’s Radio 4 sitcom] was written for me – a mother and a daughter came through, and I was keeping up with them. That was totally dead spirts who wrote that. If I’d have known their name I’d have credited them. Stuart Goldsmith: [laughs, sounding genuinely impressed with this figurative explanatory device] That’s incredible, that’s an incredible way of looking at it. To what extent are you using – just so I’m clear – to what extent are you using “dead people”, in inverted commas, as a metaphor for the creativity coming out of somewhere you don’t know where it’s from, and to what extent do you mean literally dead people? Lucy Beaumont: No, I literally, totally, one hundred percent believe that most writers, when you get characters that are fully formed – what they call “write themselves” – you have picked up on spirits. [pause that lasts half a second too long where despite the silence, you can hear him recalibrate his reaction to this now that he knows it’s meant literally] Stuart Goldsmith: That’s amazing, I’ve never heard anyone put it like that before. Lucy Beaumont: I’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of writers and that, I’ve convinced them that that’s right.

The conversation goes on for a little while like this. To his credit, I think, Stuart Goldsmith strikes a good balance. He asks further questions to get her to expand on that point, and at some point, her insistence on how very literal she's being causes him to ask, "Lucy, are you pulling my leg?" To which the answer is no, and then you can hear him recalibrate again, giving up on his efforts to get her to see the potential in saying this is a good metaphorical device. To his credit I think he handles the ensuing conversation well - gently challenges the idea that writers can't just make shit up and it needs to come from spirits, but without being a dick about it and telling her that what she believes is wrong. And he does manage to dig into that far enough to find the scraps of her common ground with the people who, you know, don't believe in that shit, and pointing out the ways that her perspective could translate to really useful practical writing advice. He did pretty well, I thought.

But the point is that I no longer feel guilty for wondering whether Lucy Beaumont is entirely putting it on. I mean, she's putting some of it on, for comedic effect, intentionally intelligently as all comedians do. But also, when she says she believes a dog ghost climbs into bed with her at night, she's probably saying that not because she's in character, but because she believes a dog ghost climbs into bed with her at night.

[danpuff-ao3]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💙

Oooh, thanks for passing this to me, Lizzy! 😄 Let's see....100 fics, how to choose 5? 🤔 Well all know #1 already, don't we? 😂 So I'll take a leaf out of Lizzy's book and do a countdown to 1!

5.) A Matter of Time

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 3,686. Written for Snarry Adopt-a-Prompt 2022. Features reverse chronology and alternating POVs! Also: ambiguous/open ending (my love!) It feels like the Snarry of my youth, that angsty and spicy student/teacher, and some good old fashioned tragedy! I really feel like I pulled the thing off with this one! (What is said "thing"? Who knows.) Also, not to pat myself on the back but...that final line? Ouch.

4.) Cruel Summer

Harry/Sirius. Rated: E. Words: 5,445. Minor Harry/Severus. Written for HP Chan Fest 2022-2023. Features gorgeous art by @mrviran. It's a fic I've had floating around my noggin' for a few years but finally felt the call to write for Chan Fest! Our two beloved, troubled boys (Harry and Sirius) live together post PoA, and sees them through plenty of dysfunction, manipulation, and other problematic content 🤭 They have a very complicated (and angsty!) connection and I am so so pleased with how it came out! It's very bit as spicy, sad, and twisted as I'd hoped!

3.) The Curse of Anteros

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 52,566. Written for Snarry Bang 2023. Inspired by an episode of Charmed called "Magic Hour" (which itself was inspired by a movie called Ladyhawke). This is another idea I've long wanted to write, but never knew how to write it until now. Curses, fairytales, magical animals, true love!! Begins with student/teacher and carries on through time to old men Snarry!!!! This fic really grew way out of control and I'm so glad it did. It feels like...a "proper" story, if that makes sense? Actual plot! Novel length! Who am I even???? Anyway I'm stupidly proud of this one. Also: ART BY MRVILLAIN AGAIN, MY BELOVED TEAMMATE, I'M OBSESSED. Like...idk I'm blown away. Which sounds bad cuz this is my story, but I don't care. This is genuinely a story that not only was I so pumped to create, but one that I'd have LOVED to read as a reader! Had someone else written this I'd have lost my mind reading it. I hate saying that, it sounds so arrogant, but I don't care, I'm losing my mind over this one. I wrote it in like 2 weeks!!!! This fic POURED out of me! And I love it!

2.) Collateral Damage

Draco/Ron. Rated: E. Words: 16,071. Written for Ron-Draco Fest 2021. The first draft of this got to like 10k before I had to scrap it and start totally over. Somehow the original opening kept winding down the wrong path. So finally after fighting with it for way too long (and only 2 weeks to go until it was due), I gave it up and tried again. Decided: "hey, let's open with porn and see what happens." Well...That worked. That did it. All I needed was to open with a BJ for magic to happen, who knew? I ended up with a story I was super jazzed about, and to my great surprise (and pleasure!) others loved it, too!!

1.) Contempt | Devotion

Harry/Severus. Rated: E. Words: 20,400 | 25,843. Written for Snarry-a-Thon 2022 and 2023. This one's cheating a bit since it's technically 2 fics, but it's also the same story in different POVs so...it kinda counts, right? Also I know people have told me they liked Devotion more but I can't help but admit that Contempt itself still holds the top spot in my heart! And while I think say The Curse of Anteros is a better overall story, I don't think any fic ever will top Contempt. I mean, never say never, but Contempt is the story of dreams. It's my heart and soul. It's the Snarry I've always wanted to write. The story, the dynamic, the characterizations, everything. It's everything I've wanted in a Snarry since I first began reading Snarry 20 years ago. Like...I have no words to express just how meaningful this work is to me. This is literally the culmination of all of my Snarry feels. I dragged this story out of my gut. I pulled it out of my skin and wrote it in my blood. That's how connected I am to this work. (Wow that sounds really dramatic but also...true.)

Genuinely I was so cared people would hate it, but I wrote it anyway because I needed it and I loved it. I'm very glad to say that plenty of others love it with me! And this is another one @mrviran offered love to in the form of a podfic! (Plus cover art!) I'm fully obsessed with the podfic (AND ART!) and I get all teary eyed when I think about it, that my dear friend worked so hard to bring more life to my baby. 🥹

Kinda funny how my favorite works (and what i consider some of my best works) were all for fests. Fests really do inspire me, even if they make me want to pull my hair out. 😂

Also is it cheating to give honorary mentions to Lover Boy at Play, In My Veins (In My Blood), Orange Blossoms, Teardrop in Your Palm, and Black Skies? 👀

[theawkwardterrier]

2023 fic roundup

MCU

Year by Year

Academic Antagonism, Scholastic Strife

Working Women

Have Yourself a Scheming Little Christmas

Outlander

Unexpected Gifts**

Pure Heart, Clean Hands*

Bake On

Bad Roommates; or, Stocking on the Door*

The Envy of Care*

Better Broken Hearts Than Broken Bodies**

The Intimidation Game**

Nature and Nurture*

What We Have, What We Keep*

First Gifts**

What We Have, What We Lose**

Reflections*

On the Road (Too Far, Too Long)*

A Particular Habit*

In Care Of*

Awakenings*

Not Alone**

Four Thoughts During a Separation*

In the Act**

After the War Is Over (Will There Be Any Home Sweet Home?)

Never Leaves You**

Polyglot Pride*

Bits and Pieces**

Sword and Shield*

Make History*

Soon, the Sight of You*

Baby Proof*

S5 Series, cont.*

Slow, Someday Sisters*

No Matter How Far*

Roots and Wings

Over Matter*

Small Joys*

Future Tense*

Healing Hearts*

Enough? Enough*

Connections*

Comes Around*

All Illuminated*

Genesis*

Dialogues*

One Last Time*

Fathering*

Side by Steadfast Side*

In His Multitudes*

By Heart*

Living Up*

Beyond Keepsakes*

Are and Become*

Marching On*

Family Means*

Far and Ahead*

Forever in Peace*

As Houses*

All Tied Up**

Hope’s Smallest Seeds*

Only in Dreams*

Parenting and Partnership**

All the Ways Home

Home and Away*

Vine and Fig Tree*

Familial Peas**

In the Light and the Shadows*

Gifts*

In the Operating Room*

All the Shattered Pieces*

Moments of Thanksgiving*

Anchors in Absence*

Relation**

Let the Circle Be Unbroken*

Morning Moments**

A Reception**

A Slow-Motion Storytime*

Particular Prescriptions*

Always Been Forever*

* drabble

** Laird’s Room ‘verse

1. Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted?:

As I continue my journey to not caring about this stuff: who knows?! What I will say is that I wouldn't have necessarily predicted that I wouldn't participate in certain fandom events that I traditionally have over the years, but that my list is super lengthy because I have kept up with my weekly drabbles and I've also transitioned to doing more chapter fic than I have in the past.

2. What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?:

No real surprises this year, but I did do quite a variety of drabble POVs rather than sticking to my single ship, plus it might be somewhat unexpected to see that I wrote kid!Natasha + kid!Sharon Carter dual POV.

3. What’s your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?

Muscle Memory was technically still posting in this year, and I'm super proud of a lot of that story, but I also have quite a fondness for a lot of the character work and family/feelsy moments in All the Ways Home.

4. Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Posting Roots and Wings!! I think that what I learned is that I'm allowed to just post what's interesting to me and what I want without thinking about reception, but also and perhaps contradictorily that sometimes the things that I like and want to experiment with will also appeal to people.

5. Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?

Finish and post the Great Depression fic

Keep up with my Wednesday 100 drabbles

See if it feels good to go back to some additional fandom events or to start working with some new fandoms/ships - generally use what feels positive to me as the gauge for what I should do rather than expectations or the desire for recognition in some way

6. From my past year of writing, what was…

Story Most Underappreciated by the Universe:

There are easy reasons and explanations for this (it's short and really recent and potentially a little weird) but probably Have Yourself a Scheming Little Christmas.

Most Fun:

Academic Antagonism, Scholastic Strife! I still don't know that the trope super works in the way that I played it, but I like it anyway.

Most Disappointing:

I don't know that there's one that really fits here for this year, but maybe Roots and Wings specifically because the pacing is slightly off - I couldn't find anything to sort of fill in to balance the slower beginning with a slower ending rather than montaging the second half.

Most Sexy:

Oof, maybe I'm just tired, but I don't know that I had any super great sexy scenes this year?

Hardest to Write:

Lol, all of them? My depression hit super hard midyear and made it really difficult to focus and connect enough to complete All the Ways Home.

Most Unintentionally Telling:

The fact that I'm focusing so much on parenthood, specifically fatherhood, and family moments is definitely saying...something. Do even I know what it is? No guarantee!

Choice Lines:

Haha, I have no idea this year. I love my stuff but also it would be a bit out of hand to try to quote many of them. If you have favorites, I'd love to hear them!

[acacia-may]

Let’s pour some salt together, Acacia~!/lh 💖

If it’s not too much trouble, can I ask #7 generally, #10 for Fairy Tail and Black Clover, and finally #25 for Demon Slayer?

It’s several questions and a bit all over the pl s so I hope you don’t mind… 😅

Cheers, Erika! 🥂 Thanks for the chance to get a little bit salty about so many different things! ^^

Necessary disclaimer above the cut: These are just my own personal opinions based on my personal tastes, perceptions, and feelings regarding the series, stories, and characters and their relationships. I genuinely have the utmost respect and absolutely no ill will towards anyone who has a different opinion than me. In fact, I have always said that one of the greatest things about fandom is that we can all experience and perceive these amazing stories and characters in very different ways but still love them. Even some of my dearest fandom friends enjoy different pairings than me or see our shared favorite characters in wildly different ways than I do. I personally find it very rewarding to have respectful conversations about our differences of opinion, and I hope that my opinions will also be respected. Also, I don't vibe with just mindless bashing things, so even though this is about to get very salty and a little snarky, I'll try to keep it respectful and all in good fun. I am not tagging anything and am hiding my thoughts under the cut so you all don't have to be subjected to my hot takes and "Salty Acacia," if you don't want.

MAJOR Spoilers for Demon Slayer below the cut. You've been warned.

7. Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?

ATTACK ON TITAN/SNK. My sister says I need a swear jar because I can just rant for hours about how I was just so personally, viscerally disappointed with how that series ended (made all the worse because I had several years of investment in it). As a disclaimer, I still like my favorite characters and the side story "No Regrets" will always be **Chef's Kiss** but yeah...you could not pay me to watch or read it ever again.

But again, disclaimer, that's just me. It's my cousin's favorite anime of all time, and he loved the ending. Everyone's different.

As for anything else from fandoms I actually talk about...I'm not sure there is anything. Like everyone with an online presence, I have definitely been disturbed, appalled, and otherwise very upset by things I've seen on the internet, but that's what the block button is for (and I know it's all peace, love, & good vibes around here, but I block aggressively, actively, and unapologetically when the situation warrants it). As a general rule though, I try not to let what other people think get to me and ruin the things I love, and in that way, I don't think I have ever had a situation where something was just completely 100% ruined for me by a terrible fic, toxic fandom, or anon hatred ect. ect. I have certainly distanced myself from certain pairings and certain fandoms because of that, but I wouldn't say any of them have ever reached the level of "I can't stand it now." If anything, I sometimes feel a little contrary and dig my heels in on that thing in a petty revenge, "Well in that case, I'll just like this more" kind of way, if that makes sense?

All of that said, I have no patience for nasty, toxic fandom environments, and I stay away from those even if it's a media I really like i.e. you mentioned MHA in one of your salty asks...I wrote my one platonic friendship fic and got the hell outta there (nothing bad happened to me but it just wasn't worth it to take any chances). But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it in real life and sometimes talk about it with my sisters and irl friends. I just don't want to discuss it online. It's not worth the headache & drama.

I definitely get fandom fatigue sometimes where the aggressiveness and toxicity of the fans of a certain pairing or character I already don't like just intensifies my dislike for that thing. But that's really only ever happened with things I already don't like or don't have an opinion on at all, which I don't think that really fits the prompt here.

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Fairy Tail: The anime-only Celestial Spirit Arc by a landslide. It was so boring and had so many pacing issues. I literally fell asleep during it and didn't even both going back. I'm also super bitter towards that arc because my sister got so bored during it that she quit the anime (right before getting the best arc Tartaros). I keep begging her to pick it up again and just skip the stupid Celestial Spirit Arc but she swears she is a completionist and would never be able to do it. So yeah. Can't stand that one! The only positive thing I could remotely say about it was that Levy on the game show was kind of entertaining, but overall the whole arc was kind of just like a boring bizarre dream I'd like to forget about.

For arcs that appeared in both the anime and manga, I really didn't like that flute arc (which a google search has informed me is actually called the "Eisenwald Arc"). I'm glad we got Gray and Erza introduced as characters, but the arc had a lot of pacing issues and just went on for way too way, imo. They could've wrapped things up a lot faster, also I just didn't get the whole "evil flute" thing--it was really random and kind of bizarre (also not the most well thought out plan in the world). I will say this arc gets more points than the Celestial Spirit Arc because my sister and I had so much fun making Kokushibo flute jokes.

Black Clover: Gotta go with the anime only arc here too because again, it was boring and didn't have a lot of bearing on the series as a whole. It also felt like a major let down after the high stakes of the Elf Arc. Honestly just not a fan of that one.

If I had to pick a manga arc...uh...I honestly don't know. Maybe the Sosshi village arc? But only because I thought it was better in the anime where they really took the time to flesh out Magna's backstory. It felt more rushed in the manga, but I don't dislike it as much as that anime only one.

If I can pick a character arc, freaking FINRAL'S!! Like what happened here?! It was so, so good...until it wasn't. I JUST CAN'T WITH THE AMOUNT OF REGRESSION. It makes me want to beat my head against the wall even more than he is! But I think this was about story arcs, not characters arc so I'll refrain from ranting here.

25. Would you change the ending of Demon Slayer?

This is kind of a complicated one. My sister and I were just talking about this because she feels there was too much character death, but I feel it was a justified and appropriate amount for the high stakes of the series (even if it was devastating). So for the sake of this discussion, let's assume that the author had a "character death quota" (or a set number of characters who were going to be killed off by the end of the series). If that was the case, I would have axed Uzui at the end of the Entertainment District Arc and saved Genya in the final arc.

If there was a believable/reasonable way that Muichiro could have gone into god-mode and defeated Kokushibo without dying, I would have saved him too, having Uzui take his "death slot." Then I would have saved Genya by having Sanemi die to protect him (which would have been a much more satisfying ending to his arc, in my opinion).

As sad as the other deaths were (*weeps about ObaMitsu*) Muichiro and Genya were children. While it's realistic for them to die, it's especially tragic, and if I got to rewrite the ending, I would prioritize saving them.

Though to be perfectly fair, I would have been much happier with the ending if Uzui had died in the Entertainment District Arc and any of our heroes who died in the final battle survived instead. I'll forever be salty that Uzui of all people somehow managed to survive to the end when so many others did not, especially since his arc had already wrapped up and him dying in the Entertainment District would have been a satisfying conclusion to his story whereas so many other characters who did get axed had storylines that felt unfinished (Genya especially).

Also, Himejima should have played the flute at Kokushibo causing him to lose his cool in the infinity castle so much faster. I'm really upset this didn't happen. (Kidding but I would’ve loved to see him just go completely unhinged over the flute. I make way too many Kokushibo flute jokes…)

[fivie]

There's a thought about umw that I've had for a long long time and since I didnt exactly have anywhere else to out it I thought I'd share it here.

It's about Montparnasse, or rather, the apparent lack of him and where oh where is he.

Now, obviously, there are many les mis characters who aren't in the story, it makes perfect sense, eg. javert who is implied once or twice but isn't actually mentioned.

But anyway, while thinking about umw my thoughts often turn to R's life before the story. I mean, it has been many centuries and while I can imagine it Nit Being Much, there had to be Events to fill the time, right? Some people he met, some historical events he's witnessed, etc etc.

I've always imagined imagined Grantaire to have met Floréal some time in the 1600s or 1700s and them being very loose sort of friends. Acquaintances is a better word maybe.

But the one concept that cannot for the love of everything leave my mind is Montparnasse sort of being there, throughout the ages. At first I thought, a fallen angel maybe? But that doesn't seem to fit him at all, and the idea that I arrived at was that Montparnasse was a Reaper. I'm going to be serious, I haven't been keeping up with spn for several seasons now and my memory of the lore is very fragmented so I'm not sure how it holds up canon-wise, but it seemed neat to me. He accompanied R during the worst of times, when he witnessed the most deaths, wars, revolutions, massacres, the sort of atrocities that made Grantaire so cynical and distrustful and That Way in general. Maybe they became sort of friends. Maybe Montparnasse was the Reaper intended to bring the kids from Smoleńsk across. Who knows. Maybe the whole theory is bullshit and he's either some rando doing Crime around Lyon or he doesn't exist in the universe at all, but it's still fun to think about.

Anyway that's all I hope it's at least a bit entertaining 🙌🙌 + tysm for all the hard work on the fic it's taken up at least 85% of my brain at all times for thr last 2.5 (maybe more?) years<33

Ooh that's a cool idea! It would have been fun to have a Reaper character in UMW, especially since humans can't see them (unless they're dying or, y'know, dead) so it would be someone only Grantaire could interact with. Or maybe Jehan can perceive Reapers too, which would add a tasty Romantic quality to his abilities – he sees dead people and also the embodiments of death itself 💕 also I imagine a Reaper, a keeper of the Natural Order, would have a thing or two to say about resurrected-ghost-Feuilly 😂

I actually do have my own UMW version of Montparnasse, since he was originally meant to feature but got cut due to the story already spiralling madly out of my control without me adding even more characters and plot threads. I think I wrote about him in a post once but it was like a bajillion years ago so for funs let me tell you about him here:

He IS some rando doing crime around Lyon!! (Or possibly Paris, I never 100% decided.) He's sort of like a dark mirror of Jehan; he's human and also a psychic, but much less naturally powerful, and has started dabbling in witchcraft and other unsavoury things to enhance his abilities. He's wildly jealous of Jehan's powers and also considers Jehan to be an idiotic waste of those powers because he won't use them for his own gain. He comes from a much bleaker background than Jehan and had to fend for himself from a young age, and so has become very adept at using his abilities to manipulate people and is now a very successful and wealthy con artist. He's not 'evil', which is a pretty strong term in a world with demons etc, but circumstances have molded him into a person who does not trust others and is very out for himself, and his psychic abilities make him somewhat arrogant and he considers ordinary people to be inferior and fair game for him to mess with.

As you can see my personal take on Montparnasse is a bit darker than the pure neutrality of a Reaper-type character 😂 In this AU I envisioned him as kind of the same type of character as Spike from Buffy, in that he starts out as a legitimate threat and thorn in the protagonists' sides but reluctantly develops into an ally as time goes on.

However I know that fandom interpretations of Montparnasse vary wildly and all are valid, and since he's almost definitely never going to actually show up in UMW, please have fun imagining whatever version of him you enjoy most!! I just also have a lot of thoughts with nowhere to go and will take any opportunity to share 😂

[javis-burner-phone]

Thank you for your post about the current situation in the fandom. It really hit home. I know your post was about writers in the fandom but I was able to take a lot from it.

I am not a writer, I came to this part of tumblr about a year ago to enjoy Pedro fanfic, other brilliant content and hopefully make some connections within the fandom.

I never expected it to be so hard and so disheartening (I’ve been part of fandoms before and thought I knew how it worked… I was wrong!). Maybe it’s just me but as a non content creator I have found it hard to find my place here.

I make it a point to reblog the amazing writing that I read so that other people can enjoy it too and as a way to say thank you to the writers who give us these stories for free. I add comments too when a story has made a big impact on me. I send in asks and requests but most get ignored, which is fine, I can see how things can get lost if someone has had a lot of responses or even if that particular writer just doesn’t like the sound of what I’ve sent. I have pushed myself way out of my comfort zone and gone into people’s DMs and discord to start conversations but no one seems all that interested. I’ll never be the loudest in the room and it can be hard to make yourself heard over all the more confident, outspoken people. But I can understand that not even a shared interest will mean you automatically get on with someone and i don’t want people to have conversations with me out of some kind of obligation.

However, after a while you can’t help but take it personally and feel quite despondent. I have been very close to deleting my account altogether and then I came across your post and your take on it all and I am so glad that i did. The part you wrote about the filtered content list was something I didn’t know about but now I do I can try it! It might not change anything but it’s worth a try. Just because I haven’t found my people yet doesnt mean that I won’t! And let’s face it, all I want to do is chat and get silly and excited about Pedro and his amazing work!

I do seem to have gone on quite a bit here when all I really wanted to do was say thank you for your post and to fly the flag for other non creators who might be feeling as lonely here as me - sorry for the long message and thank you for taking the time to read it.

Hey, thanks for sharing your experience. My post focused on fic writers, but you're 100% right. You don't have to be a writer to feel isolated here.

It makes sense to feel negative about how hard it is to connect here. I've also considered leaving a few times, but I kept trying and I'm glad I did. It requires a lot of effort, but we CAN make strong connections here.

I'm glad the post gave you hope. ❤️

[heartstringsduet]

in regards to your post about kudos/comments on AO3, i 100% agree with you. i very recently started posting my fics and the hits to kudos/comment ratio is very discouraging and cant help but feel doubt in my writing ability. and i understand i don’t have an established audience like others who have been writing for a while. not to make this about me but i just wanted to say i totally agree. and you aren’t alone in feeling this way.

Hey there 🥰 Thanks for sharing your view and your pain points and your sympathy. 💕 First of all, I did not mean to make it all about me. I'm aware that I at least have a little readership already and that 17 kudos aren't worth much when they clearly still show that people liked and engaged with something I wrote. I still value people 'just' reading and not at all engaging. It's still good to know people care enough to click on something. But now enough about me, just wanted to contextualize it a little to say that I know it must be a lot harder for people just starting out writing or writing for this fandom. I think it's very valid to be sad and doubt your writing. I definitely been and will be there again. But what helps me is to try and really get away from numbers (which I fabulously showed I definitely can't always) and really think of the comments I do get. And even if a chapter 'only' gets two comments when I worked 3/4 of a year on a fic, I truly have the loveliest comments. And I don't even mean the very logn ones though they are surely appreciated. But someone took the time to comment on my story I updated daily "lovely chapter" and it made my day because I knew SOMEONE out there way waiting for that daily update and actually read along every day. My story gets a single kudo a day? Someone out there is reading my story. And is touched by it. That won't solve the issue. I still think both can be true. I can write for me and my five loyal readers; but I can also be sad some days because I really wished more people would engage in some way. Even leave a single heart emoji in the comment just to show, hey I read this, it's nice. And I do hope you continue to write. Maybe it will unburden you too to feel like you don't have to meet expectations of readers if those readers aren't even showing they like it in any way. Write the weirdest, most self-indulgent thing you can think of. Write because you love writing. Find that fandom friend who will go a little bananas in your comments. Write in spite. I'm sure that fandom engagement will pick up in the new season release but even if I'm wrong, please keep on writing. Nothing would be sadder than having less fanfiction. And I'm really sorry you're feeling down. Feel hugged.

[crystaiskiess]

Thank you for answering first of all :) (also glad it wasn't a dumb question, one win at a time🫡). And tbh I really didn't have any answer of yours in mind, I just wanted an answer for it in general since it's really been plaguing my mind since that chapter; So that answer is MORE than enough. And also memory failure very much makes sense, I myself am a very forgetful person too, so like😭 (maybe I'm also just a little bit of a sappy person and thats why I wanted to know and thought: maaaybe?).

Sometimes I forget that people in stories don't have the pleasure of rereading and rereading and rereading their own stories till their last breath, which I obviously can do, so of course I'll remember it when they dont.

Though on THAT topic and please excuse me if that is one question/topic too much, I would very much understand since I can be a bit much with stuff I fixate on; but since I've read "The crystal cave" the first time I looked out for the stuff you implied might happen in the future. One of which was the sword scene (help I don't know what else to call it). At first I thought that scene happened in "The Changeling" when Merlin gave Arthur his sword and they have the talk about destiny and how it makes you feel like you don't have any choice etc, but then "The Sorcerers truth" came out and on god you made me doubt all that because that ALSO seemed to fit "the crystal caves" description (if not more than the scene from The changeling). The one thing I know is that I myself knew logically Merlin wouldn't really remember that since it was just snippets he saw, I've just been looking out for it so I kind of jumped at "The Sorcerers Truth's" description with that sword and magic conparison. I was very unsure if that would still later be explained or not (since I also caught the cloak scene you wrote in of Arthur still having it from "Under false presences") I really just wanted to know if I had the right idea here or not, I'd very much understand if it wasn't possible to answer that, though.

anyways to cut it short I really just wanted to say how much I appreciate your story and thank you for writing it since it's been one of, if not my favorite ever since (if that hasn't been made clear yet) and that I really rarely spent any time not thinking about it (kinda bad if you have other stuff to do but oh well). I hope it wasn't too much of anything and also coherent enough to understand. But I couldn't really not say it, since it's just non stop on my mind for what feels like an eternity now and as of now I couldn't really ever talk about it, and in all honesty I could probably spent days talking about it.

I really hope you have a good rest of your day/night :)

awww thank you so so so much !!! i truly cannot even express how much it means to know that you're enjoying oafk so much and that it's one of your favourites, it really means the absolute WORLD

yeah i love to hint sometimes at the fact that unlike us, merlin and arthur don't have the ease of being able to reread their own lives, and even though it's obviously a lot of words and a lot to keep track of even for readers, for them entire years full of memories and experiences are passing, some things are bound to slip through the cracks !!!

to answer your question (and truly there are never too many questions i love talking about oafk, it's my baby) yeah you're absolutely right merlin doesn't remember those snippets of visions at all, they were much more for the reader - and the sword scene aligns with the one in 'the sorcerer's truth' !!! you've 100% got the right idea there

i hope you have a lovely rest of your day/night too 💕💕

[arcadia-of-pluto]

Galaxy Corner; ✨️

Hey guys! I decided since I'm going to try to post things more often, I thought a nice little bio/about section was necessary. So let's get into it! 🩷 And I hope this doesn't disappoint you, if y'all were waiting for an update

Age; it's in my bio, but I thought it would be good to have here too. As of this post, I'm 23.

Behind the Name ☆; I go by Pluto online since I wanted to see if I liked the name enough to use irl. A few years back when I realized I was non-binary, I thought a special "name" was necessary so I chose Pluto since it's, well, special to me. Pluto has always been my favourite planet (I cried when it was declared a dwarf planet) and Pluto has always been my favourite roman god so the name just stuck. I always felt like the name was connected to me and I feel really comfortable using it as such.

Oh! And the word "arcadia" in my username means "a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet." So I feel like my username translates to "safe place of/for pluto"!

Sexuality & Gender identity; this isn't a necessary thing, per say, but I just wanted to add it. I don't mind any pronouns used toward me, I don't really have a preference either. It is what it is and all of that. When it comes to sexuality, I assume I'm pan? I really only care for personality, but I do have a preference for men or more masculine people.

About Me; I dropped out of college, because I couldn't afford to dorm and I submitted my schedule way too late so I got classes I didn't want or simply couldn't do. I have crippling, social anxiety but once I warm up to someone, I'm 100% a yapper. I can ramble along all day if I'm on a topic I like. I have rosacea, which is a skin condition where the blood vessel in your cheeks are inflamed. It gives off an appearance of constantly blushing or sometimes a bad sunburn depending on the day. It also causes acne breakouts so very fun. I have four tattoos, all small, and I only like two of them. The other two are a bit too basic for my liking. I've dated twice in my life, both horrible experiences. I could say so much about them but that's a topic for another day. I'm left-handed and I used to draw a lot but now I struggle even holding a pencil since it's been so long. And that's...honestly all that's interesting about me! Nothing much else, I'm pretty boring otherwise. My personality really reflects off of the person who I'm talking to so, otherwise, I struggle trying to come up with a mental image of myself. 🩷 well that got too deep-

Experience; I've been rping since I was ten, writing oneshots on wattpad since I was fifteen until I stopped when my 600k views oneshot fic on wattpad got taken down for mature content 😞 so I do apologize if I'm work comes off as dated or a bit childish and short! I've never wrote long form content besides multi chapters of a singular oneshot

Plans for the future; I do have a part time job, but I'm planning on writing more fics and oneshots in the future! I have up to nineteen chapters written so far on ToF (Twist of Fate) and I have been writing down ideas for new oneshots or even shorter series for the future. I'm not sure how long ToF will be but I doubt it'll be more than 100...100 seems like a lot, and Love and Deepspace is still an ongoing game so I can't exactly wrap up the story any time soon. I also plan on posting some original works to here, though most will be isekai-themed since I've been really into those kinds of stories lately. My google docs are filled the the brim with ideas

Upload schedule; Weekends will be when I'm most active when it comes to posting since I work Monday through Friday, but I'll be semi-active throughout the day. I have a little bit of downtime at work, and a lot of downtime before and after work so I'll have time to reply to comments or follow anyone back!

Time Zone; For uploading purposes, I thought it would be good to disclose this. It's not too big of a deal, I feel. My time zone is CST.

Any other Fandom stories; I might get back to my old BTS ideas. I have a few ideas involving them so I might also add them. This is a multi-fandom account after all, but my main focus will be Love and Deepspace.

Currently reading; I get a lot of my inspiration from different animes, manga, and manhwas so you might seem common tropes reflected in my work. A lot of isekai and regression manhwas like "Who made me a princess?", "Actually, I was the real one.", and "Villains are Destined to Die" for example are really good and really got me into liking the isekai genre as a whole.

Side notes; While I do look over my writing, there will probably be some spelling errors or swapped words since my brain tends to skip over words whenever I type so if you notice anything like that, don't be afraid to let me know. If it's a huge mistake, I'll fix it but if it's something simple- like needing an extra comma or something, I'll leave it since it doesn't affect the overall reading quality.

Now, with that all being said, I hope you're excited for the next two or three chapters that I'm going to post this weekend 🩷 Some of my favourite parts are coming up soon!

Also, if I need to add anything else, just let me know! I've never had to talk about myself much, if at all ○o。.